Server/barista vs server and hostess

The differences between server/baristas and server and hostesses can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a server/barista has an average salary of $30,749, which is higher than the $28,020 average annual salary of a server and hostess.

The top three skills for a server/barista include cleanliness, wine and customer service. The most important skills for a server and hostess are POS, food preparation, and food orders.

Server/barista vs server and hostess overview

	Server/Barista	Server And Hostess
Yearly salary	$30,749	$28,020
Hourly rate	$14.78	$13.47
Growth rate	14%	10%
Number of jobs	173,073	97,109
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	23	28
Years of experience	-	-

What does a server/barista do?

A server/barista is someone who makes and serves beverages and foods, such as coffee, tea, and sandwiches or baked goods. He/She or she should be able to explain menu items to customers to ensure customer satisfaction. Other responsibilities include knowing food and beverage quality controls and updating displays to attract customers. The core skills that a server/barista should possess include excellent listening and communication skills and the ability to cope up with a physically demanding work environment. A candidate with a high school diploma or equivalent could qualify for the position.

What does a server and hostess do?

A server and hostess is an employee who plays the dual role of both a hostess and a server. As implied by this, a server and hostess is in-charge of welcoming guests as they enter the restaurant, ensuring that the guests' tables are ready before leading them to their assigned tables, handing over the menu, and waiting for the guests to finalize their order. Once the guests are ready to order, the server and hostess takes on the server role by bringing the guests' order to the kitchen, waiting for the food to be ready, and bringing the food to the guests' table.

Server/barista vs server and hostess salary

Server/baristas and server and hostesses have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Server/Barista	Server And Hostess
Average salary	$30,749	$28,020
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $40,000	Between $21,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Binghamton, NY
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Blue Dolphin Energy
Best paying industry	-	Hospitality

Differences between server/barista and server and hostess education

There are a few differences between a server/barista and a server and hostess in terms of educational background:

	Server/Barista	Server And Hostess
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Psychology	Business
Most common college	-	-

Server/barista vs server and hostess demographics

Here are the differences between server/baristas' and server and hostesses' demographics:

	Server/Barista	Server And Hostess
Average age	23	28
Gender ratio	Male, 28.2% Female, 71.8%	Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.6% Asian, 6.5% White, 57.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 11.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 8.2% White, 53.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage	8%	6%

Differences between server/barista and server and hostess duties and responsibilities

Server/barista example responsibilities.

Open and close the cafe, work a POS system, manage inventory, stock the cafe.
Practice organization and cleanliness while managing individual tasks.
Greet and seat customer, take orders through POS system, and deliver food and drinks to customers.
Cash handling experience, maintain cleanliness of restaurant, ensure customer satisfaction through superior customer interaction.
Maintain regular and consistent attendance and punctuality as well as trained new team members with positive reinforcement and respectfully encouraging coaching
Maintain an organize and time sensitive backroom with various perishables.

Server and hostess example responsibilities.

Assist guests in booking reservations and manage guest history data using OpenTable reservation system.
Provide quality customer service, process customer transactions utilizing proprietary POS system, skillfully handle cash and credit card transactions.
Perform bartending duties during busy events or whenever require.
Coordinate with kitchen managerial staff using POS systems to ensure timely and accurate order preparation.
Provide guests with an excellent dining experience by asking questions about allergies or preferences and initiating conversation for customer confidence.
Manage expediter window paying close attention to garnishes and presentation.

Server/barista vs server and hostess skills

Common server/barista skills

Cleanliness, 24%
Wine, 17%
Customer Service, 11%
Multitasking, 10%
Presentation Standards, 9%
POS, 4%

Common server and hostess skills

POS, 11%
Food Preparation, 10%
Food Orders, 9%
Customer Orders, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Drink Orders, 5%

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Server/Barista vs Server And Hostess

Updated January 8, 2025

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